Natalie Kuan (Raffles Institution)

For the first JC1 common test for Economics, I received a dismal S, and knew that I needed help to improve my grades. Hence in August 2009, I began learning under Ms Foo in order to prepare for my promotional examinations in October.

During this time, Ms Foo helped me reinforce concepts learnt in lectures as well as explaining them to me in a manner which was easy to understand. Intensive drilling in past year papers, discussing the questions on the spot, allowed me to gain familiarity with structuring my answers and trained me to think quickly on my feet, which proved valuable given the vigorous demands of the Economics paper. Ms Foo’s openness and sincere passion for the subject gave me the confidence to clarify any queries I had, and to speak freely during her lessons. Within the span of two months, my grades improved drastically, with my eventually receiving an A in my promotional examinations.

I continued my lessons under Ms Foo for the following year, where Ms Foo guided me in my understanding of macroeconomics, often explaining concepts well before my teachers in school did. Despite struggling with macroeconomics and only obtaining a C in my preliminary examinations, I eventually received an A in Economics for my GCE ‘A’ Levels at the end of 2010.

Ms Foo’s perseverance and her sincere belief in my ability to do well encouraged me greatly, and she proved to be far more than a tuition teacher, but also as someone who truly cares for her students, and indeed an incredibly supportive friend through these one and a half years. :)